


Dirty Laundry

by merentha13



Category: The Professionals
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 19:54:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6580180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merentha13/pseuds/merentha13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Written in 2012<br/>Response to a Tea and Swiss Roll Challenge prompts heresy and mark<br/>attempt at writing in present tense</p></blockquote>





	Dirty Laundry

His laundry tossing and spinning behind the glass window, Doyle mutters, “Metaphor for my life, that is.” He sighs and rubs a hand over sore ribs. “Only wish the mark on my soul could wash out as easily as the blood on me clothes.”

He feels a hand slide around his waist and a warm breath tickles his ear.

“Leave off, sunshine,” the soft voice whispers, “You’ll hurt yourself with all that thinking.”

His lips twitch. “Ha-bloody-ha, mate.” He pauses, reconsiders and then just comes out and asks, “How do you live with the heresy we commit for Queen and country, Bodie?”

“Heresy, is it?” Bodie’s gentle laugh ruffles the curls around his ear. “Some deep thoughts to go with the washing-powder today, eh?”

“Think about it, Bodie.” He pulls away from his partner. “We get paid to kill. How are we better than the villains?”

Bodie rolls his eyes in a ‘not-this-again’ way. 

“They were children, Bodie!”

Bodie raises a hand and caresses a bruised cheek. “This one really got to you, eh, mate?”

“Children…”

Bodie’s face grows hard, his voice radiating his anger. “Hardly that, Doyle. They were old enough to be well versed in the use of the weapons they were waving around. Old enough to almost end you.” Bodie pokes him in the side, setting off a wave of pain from damaged ribs. “I have no regrets for taking them down. You shouldn’t either. It was them or us, Ray, and they made the choice.”

He nods his agreement. “I know you’re right, of course. I just…”

Bodie looks around the empty launderette and then gathers him up in his arms again. “Bloody bleedin’ heart, you are, mate.”

He leans back far enough to see Bodie’s eyes, and finds pain there; pain that Bodie tries so very hard to hide behind a mask of indifference. But Bodie can’t hide from him. Not any more. He sees there’s need in those eyes too - the need to comfort, and by doing that, to be comforted as well. There is solace in the realisation that Bodie _does_ feel the cost of their actions, comfort in knowing that he isn’t alone in that and that he can give ease to Bodie by letting himself be consoled. 

“I’m sorry, Bodie. I’m being selfish again. Don’t know why you put up with me.” He leans forward and kisses the end of Bodie’s nose.

Surprising them both, Bodie blushes. “Yeah, well…”

The door to the laundrette opens and a family pours in. Bodie steps back. 

“C’mon, sunshine,” Bodie leans over to pick up the laundry and whispers, “There’s another bit of heresy I’m wantin’ to commit.” Ray laughs, mood lightened because Bodie is here and Bodie is his and that makes his world a better place.

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2012  
> Response to a Tea and Swiss Roll Challenge prompts heresy and mark  
> attempt at writing in present tense


End file.
